Morales Predicts Pacquiao Victory
Legendary Mexican Erik “El Terrible” Morales has predicted that Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao will win his July 2 Mano-A-Mano showdown with Oscar Larios at the Araneta Coliseum although he was hoping that Larios will win because he is a Mexican like himself.
in an interview with ABS-CBN reporter Dyan Castillejo in San Diego and released on the Manny Pacquiao website, Norales said Larios was “a good fighter and is fast” but he still believes Pacquiao will win. ABS-CBN is bankrolling the fight card staged by Manny Pacquiao Promotions to the tune of $4 million and has spared no effort in hyping the event.
Morales said that moving up from the super bantamweight limit of 122 pounds where Larios was twice world champion to 130 pounds was “a big adjustment” and that fighting at a heavier weight “will be a problem.”
Morales who engaged Pacquiao in two epic battles, winning the first by a unanimous decision in a bloody encounter and losing by a tenth round demolition in the rematch conceded that Pacquiao was “technically a better fighter” but claimed that Larios “has a chance if Pacquiao doesn’t prepare well.” Although he would have had a mere five weeks training by the time the fight takes place trainer Freddie Roach said Pacquiao is in great shape and will win by a knockout.
Roach was reported looking ahead at the third encounter with Morales set for sometime in November, even during training for the Larios fight and has indicated he wants Pacquiao at the Wild Card Gym two months before the third Morales fight.
Morales himself said he would be well prepared saying he was eager to fight Pqcquiao a third time. He said Pacquiao "enjoys his popularity now because he beat me but his popularity will go away because I will beat him so bad the next time. This I swear.” Morales indicated he is determined to regain his dominance in the super featherweight division and promised it would be a fight to remember.
In his interview which was translated from Spanish, Morales bragged that he would “clobber Pacquiao much easier than the first fight” which he won over 12 rounds. He said he was not afraid but that it was Pacquiao who was “scared of me.” Morales said “I’m so hard to fight. I punch extremely hard and dominate. The last fight Pacquiao was always backing up because he was afraid. I got stronger. Manny was hurt very badly everytime he was hit. He was hurting bad and I know that the next time coming more prepared, Pacquiao will be beaten.”
Morales claimed Pacquiao was “much weaker and slower” in the second fight and wasn’t in good shape but that he (Morales) was in worse shape, that’s why he lost. He said " I ran out of gas allowing Pqcquiao to take over and do what he wanted. I was just too tired. I trained hard but mentally I was bothered by some things.”
Strong words from Morales but you cannot dismiss a fighter like him or take him lightly. I am positive Morales will emerge victorious in their third encounter
"Very few people really understand what it means to be a fighter. I hate it when I hear someone say, 'That fighter doesn't have guts. I hate that, I don't care if you're a world champion six times over or a four-round fighter, to step inside that ring, you have to have guts" Oscar De La Hoya
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